A cord reel of the foregoing nature is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,698 to Kozakevich. This cord reel comprises a hub portion and a first cheek portion secured to the hub portion, which first cheek portion is adapted to be secured to the license plate carrier of an automotive vehicle. A second cheek portion axially opposed to the first cheek portion is supported from the hub portion, the second cheek portion including means associated therewith serving as a mounting plate from the license plate of the vehicle. A cord is wrapped about the hub portion for storage purposes, and is unwound therefrom when required for use. When unwound from the reel, the cord is not secured thereto and may be inadvertently lost or stolen.
Re-winding the cord on the reel when it is completely detached therefrom tends to be a two-handed operation which is not appreciated by users particularly at sub-zero temperatures.
Electrical extension cords wound on cord reels and forming a part thereof will normally include an electrical outlet, and not uncommonly a multiple outlet connector is provided. These outlet connectors are relatively bulky and tend to act as an impediment for the cord to be wound neatly on the reel, and may at times become entangled with the cord when this is being unwound from the cord reel.
It is an object of this invention to provide a cord reel for automotive use wherein the cord is captured on the reel, but when unwound the cord is freely movable along its length.
It is another object of this invention to provide a cord reel for automotive use which is particularly adapted to facilitate the rewinding of the cord thereon.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a cord reel for automotive use which facilitates the storage of a connector portion thereon in an orderly manner and the unwinding of the cord therefrom.